As metaphors for depression and isolation go, aAron munson couldn’t have done much better than Isachsen — his ambitious new art show at
, which sprang from a 1975 diary entry written by his father in “a cold hell.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a philosophical titan that like its ski-speeders on Crait breaks necessary new ground in the ongoing adventures of the Skywalker clan, tearing at the surface to reveal the blood beneath.

Hikaru Sulu — dashing helmsman of the Starship Enterprise! Who could have guessed 50 years after he first appeared on TV’s original Star Trek, actor George Takei would be a sassy, politically minded celebrity activist in an electronic boxing ring oddly called Twitter — and quantifiably more watched even than his scene-stealing boss on the bridge, Captain Kirk?
Not that anyone’s counting, but Takei has slightly more followers than the actor behind Kirk, William Shatner, a true Twitter powerhouse in his own right.

Ten years ago, Frederick Kroetsch opened a dusty ammunition case in his parents’ basement. What he found inside — reels of old 8-mm film — would take him on a journey of a lifetime with his 85-year-old father.

Sam Singh laughs when I tell him his idea’s a little crazy. Yet his points line up nicely as he pitches a life-size Wolverine statue, which he hopes to have nestled into Fort McMurray — a long-clawed tribute to northern resilience.

Franchise science fiction on big screen and small is in a philosophically tricky place right now, and while there’s plenty going on in town this week (which we’ll get to), I’m going to start off with some observations about brand-name entertainment in its current nostalgia/dystopia phase.